I saw the box on the way in, but my hands were too full to grab it.  So I left the Amazon package with $80 worth of vitamins, dish sponges, shampoo, etc in the lobby. When I went to grab it the next morning it was gone.  Wrote a note to my neighbors. Nuthin’ Logged on to Amazon to report it stolen.  After 25 minutes of clicking around with no clear path to follow, I said a little prayer to accompany my sacrifice to the Amazon gods and moved on with my Sunday. Went to work in fact.  I hate wasting $80, but I hate wasting $80 of my time even more. #whatsyourtimeworth The post ..read more

America changed the game. Before the Declaration of Independence was signed your place in this world was mostly determined at birth.  Before 1776 humans were like trees. Planted. Stationary. Able to grow up and out, but unable to move from where we were planted. After 1776, the idea that we were NOT trees took root. (Couldn’t help myself.) To me the Fourth of July is a  reminder that we’re born with the unalienable right to strive, to pursue, to move towards something better. None of us are truly stuck where we are. If we don’t like our station in life, we can move.  That doesn ..read more

We’re halfway there and I’m not even to my 2024 goals…  …and that’s okay. (It’s also okay if you’re in the same boat.) In January, my goal for the year was to hire 6 teams of financial planners and 10X our monthly recurring revenue. After a series of missteps, we’re now on track to have ONE team in place by the end of the year. At our current growth rate, we’ll grow our MRR by ~50%. And you know what? That doesn’t suck. If you’re reading this, there’s a great chance you’re wired as a high achiever, and people like us tend to set really aggressive goals… …goals that fall into the “shoot fo ..read more

There are broken links on my website. The production quality of my video content is lacking. Some people don’t like the orange in our brand colors.  One household didn’t move forward after the Foundations program last year.  3 years before that another household didn’t continue on. A dozen or so didn’t come with me when I started Financial Zen. I’m not nearly as far along as I thought I’d be now.   sigh… Just kidding!!! All of that is 100% true and has been brought to my attention recently. But if that’s what I focused on, I’d never get out of bed in the morning. I’ve done ..read more

As seen on moneygeek.com – Life Insurance As An Investment Experts’ Insights on Using Life Insurance as an Investment Rick Valenzi, CFP Founder and Certified Financial Planner at Financial ZenBACK TO ALL EXPERTS Could you explain how one can leverage their life insurance policy for investment purposes? With certain types of life insurance — variable universal life — you can invest the policy’s cash value in subaccounts (basically just mutual funds) and then take a tax-free loan against that cash value in retirement. Are there any notable risks when using life insurance as an investment? Using ..read more

When I got into this business, I had just finished my CFP education and was eager to apply all my new knowledge. I would present all sorts of different scenarios. I would try all sorts of new strategies. I would “customize” everything. But a decade and a half in and I can tell you that was newbie thinking. It might shock you to know, I now make very, VERY few decisions. After 16 years, there are very few financial situations I haven’t seen. That means I’ve charted the right path 100’s of times. We might customize the trim, but our recommendations have already been formed. – Max out your long-t ..read more

Why would you cut your pay 75% to go into financial planning? Why don’t you just team up with a Senior Advisor? It’s been 2 years and you’re broke. Just call it quits! You’re seriously going independent without any help? Young people don’t have any money. Where will your revenue come from? A monthly flat fee and super-low AUM?! That will never work! Seriously? Monthly meetings?  The list will go on and more furled brows will be pointed in our direction. I take them as indicators I’m on the right path. The vision I’m methodically manifesting is helping people in ways never done before ..read more

It’s a popular one amongst financial influencers. Your CPA might have even recommended it. The basics are:  if you own your own business, you can hire your kid as a “model” for your website and contribute their “earned income” to their Roth IRA. (Because you can only contribute to a Roth with earned income.) I love and hate this one. I love it because it’s true and a great way to save for your kids. I hate it because it’s clickbait. The problem I have with financial influencers is that they need to grab your attention. So they’re motivated to publish content that feels sexy. Like you’re g ..read more

The marketing world says your messaging is working if you’re attracting the right people and repelling the wrong people. We are. So it is. But… To achieve world domination, it still needs work. And I’d love your help. If you’re a Financial Zen Member, you already know what we do. It’s basically equal parts: – Accountability Partner – Financial Housekeeper – Investment Advisor – Financial Planner – Decision Coach – “Easy Button” Pressers Technically we’re a Financial Planner/Advisor, but I think we’ve created a new category. To put us in the same category as traditional financial advisors who c ..read more

After looking under the financial hood of 100’s of families, I bet I know your current savings strategy (because we all do it the same). Tell me if this is you… 1. Your paycheck goes to your checking.  2. You pay your credit card, mortgage, etc.   3. The leftover cash accumulates in your checking account 4. Months go by and then you notice the large pile of cash  5. You shuffle an arbitrary amount into savings 6. Rinse and repeat The problem with this technique is that your checking account is the Hawaiian beach resort for your money. While your cash is in there, it’s just ..read more